The unique Asana floor lamp doubles as a statue-like 80″ tall chair built from lacquered fiberglass and supported by a chrome-plated steel base. Made by Italian lighting specalists, Kundalini, the chair lamp can hold a bright 250 watt bulb in its Murana triplex, blown-glass diffuser. The piece is available in orange, red, white, and black, and costs $3,580.
We’ve looked at bamboo floors before as an alternative to hardwoods. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal points out some problems with bamboo, so it may be worth taking a look if you’re considering the flooring material. Some of the points they mention:
Full article: Oh, Shoot: The Trouble with Bamboo at Home
I accumulate clutter like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter (and like said squirrels, I often can’t find my nuts, er clutter, after I put it “someplace I’ll remember”). Because of that, I’m always looking for new storage ideas. Offered by Highbrow, Inc., the Uten.Silo is a wall storage unit designed to hold things like pens, scissors, reading glasses, glue… just about any smell items you can imagine. If you’re out of room in your desk drawers and shelves, putting office supplies and other nicknacks on the wall seems like a good solution to me. The storage piece comes in black, red, white, and chrome and is available in two different sizes. The price ranges from $275 to $300.
http://www.highbrowfurniture.com
Installing hardwood flooring can be costly, not just because of the materials but also because of the long hours you have to pay workmen who install the floor board by board. To provide an alternative, Hirsch company constructs and finishes their hardwood floors in their big manufacturing facility. The company says they use a natural tung-tree oil instead of polyurethane. You can get their floors in a variety of woods and designs, such as this dark walnut which is interwoven with marble. The price for Hirsch flooring ranges from $15 to $69 per square foot.
http://www.oldeboards.com
Via Robb Report
Jacuzzi’s Fuzion bathtub is a one-person, acrylic whirlpool tub that is trimmed with a natural wood (choice of Teak or Wengé) rim on top. The tub has fourteen massaging jets, including four for the back. It comes with a backrest that has an integrated pillow. The tub also has a rapid-heat heater (no more cold bath water), overflow edge, and “illumatherapy lighting.” The whirlpool measures 72″ long, 36″ wide, and 22.75″ high, and the price is $4,500.
Gas cooktops remain the burners of choice for professional chefs (and those who like to pretend). The Bosch PGL 5-burner 36″ gas cooktop has a central, super-sized, dual-flame 15,500 BTU power burner/wok element to cook your dishes quickly. The unit is stainless steel and has a “thermocouple flame safety system” that automatically cuts off the gas flow if the flame blows out (even during power outages). The price for the Bosch cooktop is $899.
http://www.boschappliances.com
A marble floor is luxurious in the bathroom, but the weight of the stone can make it too heavy for many applications. For a weight solution, try Amtico’s Gregorian Marble White floor, which is shown here accented with Florentine Black Key Squares. Since the floor measures only 2.5mm thick, it’s light enough to be installed in second-story bathrooms. According to the company, the resilient floor is easy to install, and it’s warmer and less slippery than natural stone.
A part of Cliff Young’s home theater furniture collection, the Moon massaging recliner is designed to soothingly kneed your sore muscles while you relax in front of your favorite movie. The chair includes “high-technology features such as an infrared tactile sensor that analyzes the user’s back muscles at more than 350 massage points, and a multicervical positioning system that perfectly adapts to the neck area for the best-possible massage quality and depth.” That’s what the company says, anyway. I, for one, did not know I had 250 massage points on my back. I wouldn’t mind giving the chair a try though. The price for the Moon massaging recliner is $4,200.
Insulated window shades don’t sound as exciting as designer window treatments, but with rising gas and oil prices, maybe we should be thinking more about those niggling little things like making the home energy efficient, eh? Any window treatmeans (curtains, blinds, etc.) can help prevent heat loss, but honeycomb shades are the ones recommended for maximum insulation. This is because the honeycombs capture air, which in itself provides an insulating property. Hunger Douglas’s triple-honeycomb shades claim R-values as high as 4.8. According to an article in a recent issue of Smart HomeOwner
1 voteI’ve seen DIY laminate floors that you snap into place, but this is the first I’ve seen of carpet squares (for lack of a better term) that you lay on the floor like tiles. Put out by InterfaceFlor, the 20 inch rug squares have peel-and-stick backing that lets you lay them in a variety of patterns and shapes. Installation looks pretty easy (I’m not a do-it-yourself person, but I think I could handle this one). The squares can be made into any shape rug or wall-to-wall carpeting. The price is $7 to $15 per square.
